The Auswine Forum

weekly drinking reports. Unfortunatly it has been a week of ordinary wines for me and even two AFD, I must need to see a doctor! Bloody work got in the way of everything this week but I intend to have a good bottle tonight.

Now what have you been drinking?

Hi all,

Am I the first at 5:00pm? Too many AFD's out there? With 1,000 litres of wine in storage in various forms for every Australian we have a moral duty to reduce the stockpile and help out the industry. Unfortunately my doctor does not agree.

Nothing startling recently with noteworthy:

Serafino McLaren Vale '02 Cabernet.

Just lovely and good QPR.

Hardys Eillen Hardy '00 Chardonnay.

Fully developed with lovely buttery, toasty, peach nutty flavours. A real pleasure despite the poor vintage. Well balanced.

Starvedog Lane '02 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

Still full of zing and an interesting riesling-like minerally flavour. Good now but needs a year or 2 to allow the wonderful delicate fruit to emerge and acid/mineral to settle.

Chuck

Lots and lots of wine but just got home from a lunch where the last wine was a 1947 Hardys Vintage Port.

My god, what a glorious thing that was!!!

Strangely enough my first wine is same as Chuck, bought a bottle this afternoon.

Serafino McClaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Lovely drop, warm climate style, good value. Give it an hour to settle.
Gonna grab six of these as quaffers.

Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot 2001
Great fruit obvious, grown rather than manufactured syle, real length, mouth filling tannins, long term keeper. Lots of leafy/earthy notes on the nose, which I find *very* off-putting. . Nothing green about the fruit though. Could be great if the parts come together. Have another look in five years.

Hardy's Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1995
JW winner a while back. Bought a few at auction a month back so cracking one immediately.
Really enjoyed this. Lovely nose, incredibly sweet, perfumed. Drinking it was just the same, big (not huge) sweet fruit without any "lolly" characteristics. Nothing hot or alcoholic. Youthful. Fruit has just eaten up the oak (think 1995 was still American?) Still a nice acid balance so should keep drinking well for quite a few years yet. Nearly forgot - massive crust, just cruddy at the bottom. But oh that aroma!

Wynns Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet 1991
See other TN. Good bottle from auction. Everything in balance. At peak now. Classic CabSav. Lots of pencil lead on the nose but opened up after an hour. Enjoyed it more than the Voyager.
Convinces me I need a couple of decanters for Xmas to assist this type of wine.

Petaluma Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2002
Mispriced at $16 (I think?) so bought last four in shop as rated 94 or 95 by I think Halliday. Enjoyable drink now wine but a classy quaffer only. Lovely aroma, nice mouthfeel, silky, but mid-weight in depth and length. Nothing that makes me think it's going to be special, drink it within the next few years. Would not want to pay the normal $35 RRP on this one, but just my taste.

And the lessons ... from a tyro.
I really do prefer warm climate Cabernets (Coonawarra only just about okay, gonna lay off MR) ... and I'm going to forget about "varietal correctness" which too my palate seems to involve wines with varying degrees of leafiness.

There are some old classics out there at Auction which are not trendy a la Parker (or even Halliday, Oliver etc) ... and are good value for money (Eileen Hardy 1995 at $50, Wynns JR and Michael 1996 at $45) plus have bottle age.

A good week then ...

Cheers -- Jay.

Checked out a Champagne tasting at the Shenton Park VC's. Was underwhelmed in general, however the NV and 98 Veuve-Clicott blew me away. I've usually purchased Australian Sparklings simply because I don't know enough about Champagne to appreciate what I'm tasting. It was the complexity and richness of these wines that got me, I swear we could find white/milk chocolate on the nose of the 98.

That night we matched a homemade seafood red curry with a 2002 Torbreck The Steading.

Damn I love this wine, layers of rich savoury fruit that seemed even more opulent with the pungent curry paste and coconut milk. There was none of the boiled lolly sweetness I find quite off-puting in similar wines like the Teusner Avatar.

I found almost no tannin, and very little acid in the finish which I'm sure contrasts to my memories of it in the past. There was plenty of length there, but it was more delicate and lingering than grippy. I enjoyed this aspect, and it matched the food perfectly, but does make me wonder about how much longer to keep my other bottles. I really don't want to save these until they're all dried up

Also had a couple of Little Creatures IPA's with home-prepared sashimi (Swordfish Belly and Pink Snapper), one of my favourite snacks in the universe. Brilliant as always.

Grant Burge Filsell 1998 - Just about in the peak I think

Noon 12 bells - What a nice little cleanskin

Gramps Cabernet Merlot 2002 - Great at the barby

Penfolds Bin28 2002 - Nice fruit and a great last bottle

2005 Felton Road Riesling
Not the dry or sweet block 1, just the normal spatlese version. Haven't been avidly fond of their riesling in the past, preferring the Mt D down the road, but this vintage shines. Pure, minerally fruit with great balance between acid and residual sugar. Delicious.

2004 Felton Road Pinot
Slowly changing as it ages, but still far too young. Nose brimming with gamey dark fruits, as is the palate. Alcohol at 14% poked out at times, perhaps due to the heated environment where it was drunk. Could be a blockbuster in time.

2002 Penfolds Bin 138
This was surprisingly drinkable, but still nothing impressive. Nose had lots going on, with tar, anise, raspberry and earth. A bit clunky in the mouth, lacking the structure and refinement of higher end Pennies wines.

2003 Seifried Gewurztraminer
Bought as a curio, and wowed everyone (unsure of vintage). Had a sublime nose that despite having typical varietal character, was not boring in any way as many can be. Quite aromatic with a hidden backbone of acid on the palate. Drinking wonderfully now, it'll keep for a while yet.

2000 Te Mata Awatea
I've had several recent vintages of this cab/merlot blend, singing its praises when served knowing or blind. I'm quite fond of the style, as opposed to the bigger brother in the Coleraine which I'm just not convinced represents the same qpr. Upon opening, she was shy and coy. Flirting surreptitiously, frustration would have ensued for the ignorant and impatient suitor who would have merely rolled the eyes and moved on, yet I persevered. Ever so slowly, the nose initiated the striptease that revealed this wine's goods in a methodical, stage by stage fashion. Initially red berries, followed by cassis and earth, culminating in a complex amalgamation of the prior aromatics with wild fruits of the forest, white pepper, cedar and cigar box. It truly became an incredible nose, complex but in no way muddled or loose. The palate comprised blackcurrant fruit with black olive on the back end, fine tannins persisting in a gentle manner. Unfortunately it was my last glass before this wine really hit its straps, but that was enough to capture my attention. Will seek more out.

Cheers,

Eventually caught up with last weeks homework (posted as separate TN's)

This weekend, 2000 Cornerstone Cab/Merlot/Malbec, Newton-Forrest, Hawkes Bay
No notes, but general impression was of a complex cab blend, with the merest hint of greeness, but not enough to be offputting, with enough in reserve to wait another year or two before opening the last bottle.

Ian

Seppelt Victorian Shiraz 2003
Purple with purple rim lovely deep colour, blackberry plums and speces and a little oak on the nose. A well balance palate of tanin acid and berry fruit. Not a huge wine but a lovely quaffer with medium length, great qpr.

Marius Shiraz 2003
Dark purple with purple rim, nose started with fair wack of plums and berrys the moved on to choclate and some vanilla oak with time. Lovely rich palate with more chocolate and berrys and a spice flavour that I couldn't quite pick. Great balance and length well done Roger this is a lovely wine. I think we may have rushed this one a bit I will probably decant it for several hours when I try it next. It was only in the decanter for about and hour or so before it all dissapeared .

Wynns Cabernet Savignon 1992
An off year for BL and at the end of its life now, some lovely aged note on the nose but the fruit is fading away now it lifted a little after a few hour out of the bottle. Drink up if you have any left.

At a wine group dinner on Friday night at Mezzalira:

Not tasted: Jansz and Croser current vintage bubblies, Olssen Central Otago Riesling 2003 (apparently not great), Petaluma Chardonnay (vintage not noted).

Cofield Sparkling Shiraz NV - two bottles disappeared quickly, impressed enough for me to place an order for 2 cases to share with a few people.

Lindemans Pyrus 94 - from my cellar, mature, but still some fruit, quite complex, nice wine, will hold a year or 3 yet.

Metala 98 Black Label shiraz - sweet fruit still coping with a big dose of oak, still a year or two off it's peak, nice velvety palate.

Parker Estate 1st Growth Cabernet 99 - unfortunately slightly corked, most people didn't detect the cork taint, but the palate was stripped.

Mitchelton Print Shiraz 98 - not sure how this one had been cellared, it was a little volatile and seemed more forward than a recent one from my cellar, still enjoyable.

Elderton Ashmead Cabernet 99 - a little lean and still with hard tannins, may soften in a year or two, but not the greatest from this line and not really showing value for the price. I usually prefer the Command shiraz.

Geoff Merrill Reserve Coonawara Cabernet 98 - reasonably classic coonawarra cabernet nose, sweet berry fruit and dusty tannins, Ok but not great.

Katnook shiraz 2002 - some spicy fruit, but too much green character for me. Pass.

De Bortoli Muscat - one of the best value muscats around, has some obvious aged material, better than most Rutherglen Classic level muscats and probably better than a few grands that are getting stretched for old material.

Chambers muscat - the basic young version, pass.

During the week:
Blackjack Block 6 Shiraz 2002 - nice "rhone" style shiraz, happy to have some in my cellar.
Laughing Jack Barossa Shiraz 2002 - apparently made from Kalleske Greenock grapes, a very good firmly structured wine, I like this on a lot. Details here: http://www.laughingjackwines.com/wine.htm

Also, an interesting bracket of 4 x 2003 Shiraz-Viognier, with Yering Station Reserve and Whistling Eagle (Heathcote) being the group favourites and Clonakilla and Petaluma not having many fans.

I'm still in shock from ranking the Clonakilla 2003 S/V a clear last in the bracket and mistaking it for the Yering Station (which I had tasted less than a week before). The organiser has been suspected of mixing up the bottles on occasion, but it's never been proven even on a later re-taste of different bottles, but this bracket sure confused me.

1998 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale)
Tried another one of these at a local Italian restaurant we enjoyed very much earlier this year (and in the SMH Good Food Guide). Should have stayed at home with pizza & beer. Food was mediocre (don't visit on Sunday is the message) and the wine was a match! Nose was impressive - rich ripe blueberry, hints of soy and worcestershire sauce. A fair slather of vanillan oak as well, come to think of it, but quality aromas. The palate was rather raisined, however. Tannins have settled down with age, but are still kind of obvious and lack subtlety. The wine is warm on the palate without being overly hot, but I still find that all the fruit flavours disappear in a puff - like turning off an old TV and getting the image burnt on the screen. There's a brief bloom and then...nothing. How this justifies 96 or 98 Parker points (or whatever) and the $70-odd it seem to pull at auction is beyond me.

cheers,
Graeme

Red Bigot wrote:Metala 98 Black Label shiraz - sweet fruit still coping with a big dose of oak, still a year or two off it's peak, nice velvety palate.

During the week:
Laughing Jack Barossa Shiraz 2002 - apparently made from Kalleske Greenock grapes, a very good firmly structured wine, I like this on a lot. Details here: http://www.laughingjackwines.com/wine.htm

Brian

I had the Metala Black 98 about a week ago. Glad to see that your note is similar to what I thought.

The laughing Jack is made by Shawn Kalleske. I think about a fourth cousin of Troy. A nice young fella with vines growing in the area the family originally settled and then divided up many years ago.

This is a nice wine.

Graham

OK - two weeks of notes. After spending a week doing the whole "Wine Tourism" thing, I got slammed at work (as in "still at work at 3AM" slammed), and never got around to posting. So it's time to catch up, as I have quite a few tales to tell (including a meeting with the Trotter-In-Chief).

On the trip I tasted loads of wines ranging from poor to stunning, and I'm only going to write about the ones I thought were outstanding.

PART ONE>

Day 1: Rutherglen/Beechworth.

Visited Campbells, All Saint's, Stanton and Killeen, Brown Brothers and a small (and unfortunately forgettable) winery attached to a cheese shop whose name escapes me.

Highlight of this area was hands-down Campbells. All Saint's is a very pretty winery, and well worth a visit, but the wines at Campbell's were amazing.

Campbell's Liquid Gold (Classic) Tokay (NV): This is their C-grade Tokay and it's outstanding, all of the tokay flavours (raisin, butterscotch, tea, citrus) in perfect balance and no stodginess. Goes for around $30 and is outstanding value.

Campbell's Isabella (Rare) Tokay (NV): $94 for a 375ml bottle... and while extravagant, is worth every penny. Each mouthful takes about five minutes to get through as flavour after flavour keeps emerging. Bought a bottle which got consumed two days later (see below for that little story.)

Campbell's Rutherglen Durif 1995 As subtle as a road accident, this is nonetheless a spectacular wine. Also tasted the 2002 and this is a wine which shouldn't even be released until it's 7-8 years old, as it absolutely needs time to settle down. Back vintage sold at CD.

Day 2: McLaren Vale.

Turned up at Wirra Wirra having driven directly from All Saint's (1039 kms). Wirra staff didn't believe us, so I whipped out my receipt (dated the day before) from Campbell's as proof. Wirra goes down as one of my favourite CDs around, the winery is beautiful, the staff are fantastic and the wines are outstanding. Stayed at CD for nearly three hours, so it was the only winery of the day.

Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz 2003. The 2002 RSW (as I have frequently said) is my favourite wine of the 21st century so far. Despite not having the spectacular 2002 fruit to work with, this is still an excellent wine and displays the skill of the winemakers admirably. Oak is perfectly balanced, and tannins are smooth. The fruit comes through both deep and strong, though not quite with the same luscious punch of the 02.

Wirra Wirra Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. A lot of Wirra staff expressed the feeling that the 02 Angelus had been unfairly overshadowed by the 02 RSW, and I can see their point. A sensational CS.

Wirra Wirra Fortified Shiraz NV. This was a weird little drop which I don't quite know how to explain. Not a sticky, not a soleus-style fortified... but bloody good though. A fascinating curio for wine buffs and very enjoyable to drink... I bought three (375ml) bottles.

Wirra Wirra Anthem Sparkling Shiraz. Sparkling Shiraz's are one of my pet hobbies - they're fabulous when done right and ghastly when done wrong. This one is very nice... (but see below for "perfect".)

Day 3: McLaren Vale/Adelaide Hills

Visited Tatachilla, Tapestry, D'Arenberg, Petaluma and sort of visited Gemtree (they don't really have a CD).

D'Arenberg was disappointing, I expected much more. The Dead Arm and 03 was quite decent, but certainly not worth anything like the kind of money they were asking. While I am not particularly good at "grown-up" wine tasting, I feel that at $60/bottle the oak should be perfectly balanced and the flavour deep, and that was not my experience of the wine. Certainly worth $30-40/bottle, but not more.

D'Arenberg "Sticks and Stones" Tempranillo/Grenache/Souzao 03 Bought this one as much for its intriguing colour as for its taste... it's almost purple. I'm not very experienced with offbeat varieties (something I'm trying to rectify), but I would rate this one as very decent. Tannins were a little harsh and probably needs a couple of years to settle down, but manages to do "herbacious" without being offensive. (I find "herbacious" wines are seldom to my liking).

Gemtree Obsidian Shiraz 2002 I REALLY liked this one. Not a well-known vineyard but I don't know why not, as their stuff is very well made and delicious. Based on the quality of the Obsidian, I bought a "Taster" pack (six wines - see here http://www.gemtreevineyards.com.au/The_Wines.htm), and I shall advise when I get around to drinking them.

Tatachilla was perfectly decent, and Tapestry was quite disappointing, with excessive use of oak. Petaluma was a very pleasant stop, but all of their best red wines were not for tasting (sold out it appears).

Tuesday night was a total experience, but that shall be in my next post.

I went to the UWC champagne tasting on the weekend....highlights...Bollinger Grand Annee 1997, Dom Perignon 1998, Veuve La Grand Dame 1996, Laurent Perrier Brut 1996, Billecart Nicolas Francois 1996 and Krug MV..

Also Tyrrells Belford Semillon 1999 which was fantastic, a brett riddled 1997 Balmoral, a Lindemans Bin 0581 Chardonnay 2005 and a very nice 2002 Dugat-Py Bourgogne.

Cheers

Dave

Other than the usual consumption of quaffers and whites I had the following interesting reds at a couple of family BBQs in the last week.

2002 Claymore Dark Side of the Moon Shiraz - Bought 3 cases (combined 02 & 03s) intending to keep for a while but every time I am drinking with a fellow red wine lover I have to get a bottle out for them to try. Is drinking well now but should improve for several years, if I can manage to hang on to some.

2002 Alkoomi Shiraz – Quite nice but lacking a bit of fruit and seemed a bit lacklustre. Maybe it just seemed this way because it followed the Claymores DSOTM.

1992 Lindemans Pyrus – Was well past its best. This bottle had not been stored ideally for some of its life so I wasn’t really surprised.

1991 Virgin Hills (Magnum) – This was superb. Lots of berries and spice. Went down very well.


1988 Alkoomi Cabernet Sauvignon – I was expecting this to be past it but it tasted surprisingly young. Still plenty of fruit and it actually opened up a bit after decanting.

1990 Lindemans Limestone Ridge – Fantastic. A shame it was my last bottle of ’90 LR.

1996 Lindemans St George – A bit disappointing. Probably needs a few more years yet. I had a ’96 Pyrus a couple of months ago and it was beautiful.

manning wrote:
Gemtree Obsidian Shiraz 2002 I REALLY liked this one. Not a well-known vineyard but I don't know why not, as their stuff is very well made and delicious. Based on the quality of the Obsidian, I bought a "Taster" pack (six wines - see here http://www.gemtreevineyards.com.au/The_Wines.htm), and I shall advise when I get around to drinking them.

Manning,

These Gemtree wines are great aren't they? I tasted the 2003 Uncut Shiraz a couple of months back, and immediately bought these and also the 2004 on spec. Incredibly complex, intense and viscous for a $20 wine. Their non-shiraz reds were also very interesting from memory.

DaveB wrote:I went to the UWC champagne tasting on the weekend....highlights...Bollinger Grand Annee 1997, Dom Perignon 1998, Veuve La Grand Dame 1996, Laurent Perrier Brut 1996, Billecart Nicolas Francois 1996 and Krug MV..

Also Tyrrells Belford Semillon 1999 which was fantastic, a brett riddled 1997 Balmoral, a Lindemans Bin 0581 Chardonnay 2005 and a very nice 2002 Dugat-Py Bourgogne.

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

Being a relative novice to Champagne (typically due to my bank balance, and also being put off white sparklings in my earlier years due to terrible Australian crap) I enthusiastically went along to a Moet tasting in Brisbane a couple of weeks back. On tasting were:

Moet Brut NV
Moet Vintage 1999
Veuve Clicquot NV
Veuve Vintage (1998 or 99?)
Dom Perignon 1998
Veuve La Grande Dame 1996
Krug NV


The Dom took the prize for supreme elegance and finesse while at the same time holding up with great length and concentration. My initial comment was "what a bloody nice chardonnay," which was in no way an insult. The mousse and yeasty flavours took a step back and alowed the qualiy fruit to dominate. Easily the best mouthfeel here, the bubbles just went ppaaaaaaahhhhh in the mouth. A sexy wine.

La Grande Dame was the complete opposite. Rich ripe dark fruits, this could easily be mistaken for a red is tasted blind. Incredible intensity, with dollop of oak to match this was almost too huge. A champagne to impress red wine snobs.

The Krug sat somewhere between the above two wines in terms of power and weight. The key feature here however was complexity. This wine stayed in the glass the longest (and Dom the shortest, it went down so easily), as every sniff and sip revealed something new. Finishing with great length, this was a very impressive wine.

Compared to the Moet NV, the vintage wine showed off its clean fruit, and was less subdued. The same could be said for the Veuve Clicquot wines though they were more powerful than the Moets.

Since I realised I now prefer the more elegant style, my order was
Dom, Krug, Moet 99, La Grande Dame, Moet NV, Veuve NV, Veuve vintage. If I was drinking it with a hearty meal, the La Grande Dame would have rated higher.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of the tasting was to see the house style of the Moet and Veuve wines, from the cheap NV to the single vintage wines, right through to the big guns. The Moet wines as a group were softer and more elegant, while the Veuve Clicquots were much more rich fruit oriented.

I had some nice wines this week!

• 1999 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/4/2005)
  Light gold in color, with a nose of mainly beeswax (little fruit evident right now). Tobacco, tangerines/mandarins and tropical fruit on the palate. Lots of acid here, and was much more youthful than the 1999 de Malle I had last week. This one's an ager, but still tasty now (A-)
• 1988 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (12/4/2005)
  Big, big nose with lots of green cedar, tomato leaf and cinnamon hearts. Wonderfully elegant wine with a long finish, with more primarily green flavours (e.g., capsicum) and spices. If this were a young wine, I'd hate all the greeness on the palate, but this well aged wine manages to have great finesse and complexity. Maybe it's the 'mere' 12.5% alcohol showing? Quite yummy! (A)
• 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne (12/4/2005)
  Nutty, yeasty nose with hints of pears. Very elegant wine with a fine mousse; most nuts (almonds and hazelnuts), pear, quince and old apples on the palate. Very healthy acidity, but a powerful and elegant wine with a lovely balance of fruit and acidity, though it seemed a bit muted somehow. Will only improve. (A-)
• 2000 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Vergers 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet (12/4/2005)
  Strong popcorn scented nose, with an oily textured, medium-fulll bodied flavours of minerals, smoky pears and oak. Starts off light in the front palate, but gains intensity in the long, rich finish. (A-)
• 1999 Yalumba Shiraz - Viognier Hand Picked - Australia, South Australia, Barossa Valley (11/30/2005)
  Medium ruby color, and light tropical fruit overlaying deeper plum scents on the nose. The 9% viognier also shows on the palate, with apricot notes that merge well with somewhat lean shiraz notes of plum, pepper and a tiny hint of mint. An interesting blend that should be consumed now. You won't mistake this for Northern Rhone, but it's certainly different from the typical Barossa shiraz. (B+)

Posted from CellarTracker

1998 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz (McLaren Vale)
Tried another one of these at a local Italian restaurant we enjoyed very much earlier this year (and in the SMH Good Food Guide). Should have stayed at home with pizza & beer. Food was mediocre (don't visit on Sunday is the message) and the wine was a match! Nose was impressive - rich ripe blueberry, hints of soy and worcestershire sauce. A fair slather of vanillan oak as well, come to think of it, but quality aromas. The palate was rather raisined, however. Tannins have settled down with age, but are still kind of obvious and lack subtlety. The wine is warm on the palate without being overly hot, but I still find that all the fruit flavours disappear in a puff - like turning off an old TV and getting the image burnt on the screen. There's a brief bloom and then...nothing. How this justifies 96 or 98 Parker points (or whatever) and the $70-odd it seem to pull at auction is beyond me.

I picked a couple of these up for $40, drank one straight away and I actually thought for the style it was an excellent drink, beautifully textured, softly structured, rich but not over the top. Clearly a flagship wine, full of blueberry, dark berry fruit

Hardy's Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1995
JW winner a while back. Bought a few at auction a month back so cracking one immediately.
Really enjoyed this. Lovely nose, incredibly sweet, perfumed. Drinking it was just the same, big (not huge) sweet fruit without any "lolly" characteristics. Nothing hot or alcoholic. Youthful. Fruit has just eaten up the oak (think 1995 was still American?) Still a nice acid balance so should keep drinking well for quite a few years yet. Nearly forgot - massive crust, just cruddy at the bottom. But oh that aroma!

There are some old classics out there at Auction which are not trendy a la Parker (or even Halliday, Oliver etc) ... and are good value for money (Eileen Hardy 1995 at $50, Wynns JR and Michael 1996 at $45) plus have bottle age.

Agree, there is nothing new under the sun. diamonds are for ever, rather have some trusted classics than fly by night lemmings wines. I like the 95 EH too, bought a lot of them, still have half a doz left and you are right about the crust!! was black on release

2000 Te Mata Awatea
I've had several recent vintages of this cab/merlot blend, singing its praises when served knowing or blind. I'm quite fond of the style, as opposed to the bigger brother in the Coleraine which I'm just not convinced represents the same qpr. Upon opening, she was shy and coy. Flirting surreptitiously, frustration would have ensued for the ignorant and impatient suitor who would have merely rolled the eyes and moved on, yet I persevered. Ever so slowly, the nose initiated the striptease that revealed this wine's goods in a methodical, stage by stage fashion. Initially red berries, followed by cassis and earth, culminating in a complex amalgamation of the prior aromatics with wild fruits of the forest, white pepper, cedar and cigar box. It truly became an incredible nose, complex but in no way muddled or loose. The palate comprised blackcurrant fruit with black olive on the back end, fine tannins persisting in a gentle manner. Unfortunately it was my last glass before this wine really hit its straps, but that was enough to capture my attention. Will seek more out.

Max, I agree the 2000 Awatea is definately one of the very best vintages of this wine, perhaps even you could argue it is the best. I have tried basically every vintage 85,87,90,91,94,95,96,97,98,99,00,02,03. Would rate my top vintages as 00,98,95,91. This is a wine that has really come on since release and absolutley blows subsequent vintages out of the water. So so classy! By the way FWDC still has it in stock $42ish.

The 2000 Coleraine is also a magnificient wine. I couldnt afford to buy it until I tasted it on release, then all of a sudden I could afford it and in large format!!

As for me, I feel the gap between the Awatea and the Coleraine is wider in poorer vintages. I only buy coleraine and awatea in top vintages and tend to skip the poorer ones (or just a bottle here and there).

I went to a 10 yr coleraine vertical and really from that I was a renewed convert, very very classy wines that age well (some years just travel further). It is just a case of drinking them at their peak. Whether that is 5 years from vintage or 20, is really immaterial.

In fact '00 really to me has cemented itself as the best HB red vintage in the last 10 years aside from '98. I drank a lowly firstland cab merlot from 00 last week and it was a beautiful wine - speaks vintage.

C

DaveB wrote:I went to the UWC champagne tasting on the weekend....highlights...Bollinger Grand Annee 1997, Dom Perignon 1998, Veuve La Grand Dame 1996, Laurent Perrier Brut 1996, Billecart Nicolas Francois 1996 and Krug MV..

Also Tyrrells Belford Semillon 1999 which was fantastic, a brett riddled 1997 Balmoral, a Lindemans Bin 0581 Chardonnay 2005 and a very nice 2002 Dugat-Py Bourgogne.

Cheers

Dave

Dave, were there any 1998 Pol Roger's on tasting? I am wondering if these are a buy.

In regional Vietnam this week doing some work, no wine spied so far apart from:
Lai Chau Rice Wine NV: Excessive VA, with methylated spirits dominating the nose, mouthfeel of hot petrol with a palate that was once again most reminiscent of metho. Long finish that continued down to my stomach with an unpleasant burning sensation. 97/100 )

Deejay wrote:In regional Vietnam this week doing some work, no wine spied so far apart from:
Lai Chau Rice Wine NV: Excessive VA, with methylated spirits dominating the nose, mouthfeel of hot petrol with a palate that was once again most reminiscent of metho. Long finish that continued down to my stomach with an unpleasant burning sensation. 97/100 )

Sorry, loved your post and wondered about a possible RPJ review ...

Robert Parker: "Killer stuff, with notes of crushed steel, burnt rubber, graphite, petrol, and smoke, it possesses extraordinary concentration, tremendous purity, a raw yet seamless personality, and a magnificent finish that lasts over 90 seconds before you keel over unconscious. Along with Montrose, Margaux and Latour, Lai Chau is a strong favourite for wine of the vintage. A triumph!" (96-100 points).

D*mn. Looks like I could make a go of this review lark after all!

Thanks -- Jay

Thanks Jay,
I forgot the drinking window - which is the 10 mins between being too drunk to know that drinking it is a bad idea and actually passing out.

Cheers
Dave

1990 Tim Adams Aberfeldy

Was initially worried this may not have held up, but,
the color was a sharp ruby red with just the slightest of bricking
The nose was full of blackberries and cassis, real quality fruit.
An elegant, soft wine with a silky texture. Tannins had perfectly integrated and it had a power packed finish that left you doing the lip smacking routine. A Lovely wine. 91 Pts

Departmental Christmas lunch at a local restaurant today. The wine list came to me, as the resident pi**pot in a finance department of 30! I only partook of reds, all of which were served at around 24C, which did none of them any favours.

2003 Mitchelton Shiraz (Nagambie)(screwcap)
Bright crimson red. Lively nose of cherries and white pepper. Fresh, warm acidic palate of lifted fruit, faintly rubbery, reductive character to begin (which blew off shortly) leading to a short and somewhat simple finish of ripe red fruits. Minimal tannin, pleasant enough quaffer.

2003 Wirra Wirra Church Block [Cab-Sauv, merlot, Shiraz](McLaren vale)(screwcap)
Solid brick red colour. Warm nose, raspberry aromas, minimal oak. Soft blurry palate, ripe, warm, neither hugely distinguished nor complex. Quite big, in an obvious sort of way. Moderate length finish of medium weight – pretty fair wine all round for undemanding but satisfying drinking.

2001 Miaolo Cabernet Merlot (Margaret River)
The nose instantly points to cooler climate – capsicum & asparagus notes, perhaps exaggerated in effect by the preceding McLaren Vale offering. Soft tannins, but giving some positive structure. More cabernet than merlot, the oak is understated as well. Respectable length – perhaps the most satisfying of the 3 wines. Feel less overwhelming than Wirra Wirra, but more persistent. Not bad, if you can tolerate green-tinged (but not unripe) fruit.

cheers,
Graeme
(edited for formatting)

2001 Yalumba Signature - simple, muted, thin, short. Dissapointing. Upon reflection I suspect low level cork taint. Normally I can pick TCA upon opening but couldn't tell with this bottle. It was still drunk by the pissheads at the table despite them saying it was ordinary.

More 2002 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz.

1999 Leasingham Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec - very nice.

2003 Rochford V Victorian Shiraz - OK but nothing special even as a $10 quaffer. Prefer plenty others at this price point.

My first and definitely not the last bottles of James Squire Golden Ale. Perfect after mowing the yard in the North Qld heat.

Cheers

Scott

scottv wrote:2001 Yalumba Signature - simple, muted, thin, short. Dissapointing.

Hi Scott

01 Signature is not any of those things, its delicious and classy

Low level TCA almost certainly.

1998 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon: I love this wine. And I wasn't disappointed this time either. Unlike the next wine, this wine has certainly come together nicely and is drinking well now to my tastes. No sooner was it opened than it was consumed. I'm not sure how much longer this will last. My experience with this wine is quite limited and any comments on potential lifespan would be appreciated

2001 Passing Clouds Graeme's Blend: Still a bit early for this wine. A bit more time required for the tannins to calm down and integrate a bit more. A nice wine but should improve with a further 4-5 bottle age

michaelw wrote:1998 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon: I love this wine. And I wasn't disappointed this time either. Unlike the next wine, this wine has certainly come together nicely and is drinking well now to my tastes. No sooner was it opened than it was consumed. I'm not sure how much longer this will last. My experience with this wine is quite limited and any comments on potential lifespan would be appreciated

2001 Passing Clouds Graeme's Blend: Still a bit early for this wine. A bit more time required for the tannins to calm down and integrate a bit more. A nice wine but should improve with a further 4-5 bottle age

If my experience with 90 & 91 (even 86) is anything to go by, this has a good 10 year window for you to work through your stash! The good years seem to need 10 years aafter vintage before they really sing.

Always wanted to try Graeme's Blend, for obvious reasons. Might have to hunt some down at auction.
cheers,
Graeme

Various whites and reds, all in the quaffer category. Enjoyed Houghton White Burgundy 05 with fresh, cooked banana prawns and Koonunga Hill shiraz/cab 01 with a lamb and herb braise. Woodstock shiraz/cab 01 is no slouch for <$10 - didn't realise that Ben Glaetzer was part of the winemaking team until after I looked more closely at the label of the 2nd bottle bought after the 1st appealed to me. A nice amalgam of a wine, dark, deep red with a some brick at the edges, the oak there on the nose with some aged characters, a touch of leather with spicy fruit. The palate is savoury, underlaid with dark berry fruits and a flick of charry oak. Tannins are soft, slight greeness from the cab component, the oak less noticeable on the palate. Finishes a bit short but is a reminder of why I like this unique(?) Aus blend. A bargain and under screwcap so should last another few years. Agreeable+ and ****1/2 for value. I've seen few wines of this quality and complexity at the price point, though it's discounted from $14 at present. An indication of how the Heartland wines may develop perhaps?